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The following table,[1] based on a wide review of current theories, identifies and contrasts the fundamental emotions according to a set of definite criteria. The three key criteria used include mental experiences that:

have a strongly motivating subjective quality like pleasure or pain;

are in response to some event or object that is either real or imagined;

motivate particular kinds of behavior.

The combination of these attributes distinguish the emotions from sensations, feelings and moods.